In the work that I do, I'm often required to deal with XML in a wide
variety of forms. I have a vague understanding of what XML is and how
it acts, but now seemed like the best time to learn more about XML.
Enter Cocoon: Building XML Applications.

From the start of this book, I knew it wasn't what I had originally
been looking for. Rather than let that bother me, I tried to look
at this as an opportunity to learn about something that I had little
to no experience with. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.
The authors droned on for 2 chapters about the history of the Internet,
and the machine web. The history of the Internet was more of a history
of their own projects than a history of the Internet, and the machine
web seemed more preaching to the choir than useful. The third chapter
tells us how to install the product, and finally, in chapter 4, we get
to actually using the product.

I've been patient up until now, but this is where I am expecting to find
the meat of the book. They do start to get more into the product, but
they only stop to explain what they're doing pages after they've already
done it. Just in time for you to have forgotten what they were talking
about anyway. Their examples are self justifying, and don't branch from
their "Example Application".

Despite the fact that their book title actually uses the word
"Applications", it would probably have been better to just say,
"Application". After finishing the first 11 chapters of this book,
I have a good idea how I would build one application using Cocoon,
and that is the example they gave. To go any farther than that, I'd
have to buy another book, or do a great deal of additional research.
That's what I'm thinking I should have done in the first place.

The 12th chapter goes further into detail about what they want to do
with
their product in the future. While I find this enlightening, and feel
that Cocoon may be something I'd like to take another look at in the
future, it doesn't help me with building XML applications. A full 25%
of this book has nothing to do with building XML applications with
Cocoon.